Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Carnegie Institution For Science

    4.7 (22 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    Services - Carnegie Institution For Science

    Venue rental

    Carnegie Institution For Science Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Carnegie Institution For Science

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Rotunda - View from South Aisle (kitchen entrance/stairwell)
    Maya B.

    My husband and I held both our wedding ceremony and reception at the Carnegie on Saturday, May 24, 2014. When we began our search for a venue we wanted a venue that was "DC", but also could accommodate approximately 120 guests and would be convenient for both local and out of town guests. After searching through the many hotels, museums, restaurants, and other venues in D.C. we decided on Carnegie as it was not only elegant, but accommodated all our other requirements in addition to being well priced in comparison. Price: $5,200 Base Cost for 8 hours of use of the Ballroom, Rotunda, Boardroom, Mayor Room, Library and Portico with access to the Kitchen. Use and Access to the Portico is an Additional $800. Additional hours if booked in advance are $300 & if holding your event on a holiday or holiday weekend there is an additional 15% fee. Pros: * Becky, our liaison at Carnegie, was extremely friendly, responsive, and accommodating * No Vendor Restrictions * Temperature is adjusted as appropriate * You can bring your own alcohol (no restriction on red wine) - we used ACE Beverage who we highly recommend * Rotunda works great for ceremony (sat 110 chavari chairs comfortably), dance floor (no need to rent, saving $), and band acoustics Cons: * TINY kitchen with VERY limited refrigeration * Must Rent Everything - Although Carnegie has a number of round and rectangular tables available (no cocktail high tops), you must rent chairs (if you want Chavari) tablecloths, glasses, lighting, etc. * 8 Space Parking Lot - If you need additional spots for vendors you will need to purchase parking permits for the meters located in front and on the side of the building * No bathroom on the 2nd floor - Bathrooms only available on the 1st and 3rd floors, however, there is an elevator * Rotunda must be mopped after use typically causing a late departure for vendors (i.e. $ taken out of deposit) * No outdoor grass space

    Ceiling in the rotunda
    Jake S.

    Just got married here over the weekend. One of the more beautiful venues in the city, it doesn't come cheap, but it's well worth it, and actually underpriced compared to some of the other popular non-hotel venues in the city-proper. The whole experience was great, including all the planning with Michelle, their events coordinator, leading up to the wedding. We must have bombarded her with over 100 emails over the past year, and she never once expressed any annoyance with us. The event itself went off without a hitch, a testament not only to the wonderful staff at the Carnegie, but also to the rest of our vendors. The rotunda, where the ceremony and dancing took place, was simply stunning. The ballroom where the dinner was held was just about the perfect size for us (I would not recommend having more than 100 guests for a sit-down meal, however, so HUGE wedding-holders might want to look elsewhere. Perfect for a mid-size event though). A++ experience, but they book FAST, so make sure you allow yourself a year+ worth of time to grab a Saturday event date here.

    See all

    14 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Annie P.
    2017
    1328
    1436

    13 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mike B.
    3712
    1227
    6805

    13 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Maya B.
    6
    16
    92

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 14
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sara S.
    188
    5
    0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kelly G.
    624
    1117
    2185

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of A B.
    0
    2
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amy G.
    72
    5
    0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kristy L.
    41
    28
    20

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    Ask the Community - Carnegie Institution For Science

    Review Highlights - Carnegie Institution For Science

    The rotunda was beautiful and the perfect backdrop for a wedding and was later converted into a dance floor.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Venues & Event Spaces 2,315 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    North Hall - Photo by Nessa K Photography

    North Hall

    (9 reviews)

    Capitol Hill

    North Hall is a fantastic venue that is located in the heart of D.C., only blocks away from the…read moreU.S. Capitol Building. The brick exterior coupled with the large white-walled interior provided the perfect "blank canvas" to backdrop our event. We hosted nearly 100 people and had plenty of room for a live band and bar. The reason this review earned three stars was because of venue management. An important aspect of North Hall is that they will not let you do any setup prior to the event unless you pay per hour. As an example: our event started at 5pm and we had to pay 500$ more to start setup at 3pm. The real issue arose when we were informed that we could not leave anything in a closet or kitchen in order to make the "day-of" prep easier. Management allowed absolutely nothing from entering or remaining in the space despite there being no event prior to our reception. On a positive note, the two hour setup window provided a testament to how amazing our vendors were; they created a beautiful space with no help from North Hall. The management induced plenty of undue stress by being unclear of what permits were needed for the event. They went on to remind us with little time to prepare. This issue manifested itself one week prior to our wedding day, where our wedding coordinator, my wife, and myself scrambled to get permits for food, alcohol, etc. Overall, North Hall is truly lovely, but future customers should be aware that this venue is fortified by the bureaucracy of Washington D.C. Much like your local trip to the DMV, illogical policies and the lack of regard for the individual reign supreme. Weddings are stressful and emotional, no one should have to deal with the inefficiencies of government and the shortcomings of bureaucrats on their special day.

    The North Hall is a gem if you are looking for a place in the heart of D.C. that is both charming…read moreand affordable. We chose the North Hall because of the brick exterior, urban feel and large space -- big enough for 200 people. Weddings can be expensive and after an exhausted search we found that the North Hall was the best option. We are so glad we chose to host our wedding reception here! I would recommend this place for any business or social function. A few side notes: The parking was not a problem and the staff was extremely helpful. The bill is in some what of an a la cart format so try to get ALL the fees up front. Be sure to stick to the allotted timeframe so you don't have extra rental hour fees. Go with the bulb lighting! DJ Dan is the contract...they can provide the info.

    THROW Social - Try out a tropical drink! we have a full menu of specialty cocktails at our full bar- don't forget about happy hour!

    THROW Social

    (370 reviews)

    $$

    Ivy City

    Came to check out brunch here. Online, it shows a la carte options - when we walked in, we were…read moretold it was a Buffet Brunch only, $30 per person. We decided to stay and check it out, @1pm on a Sunday. Brunch is from 11a-4pm. There was only 1 other person for brunch, when we arrived. There was a DJ was that playing super loud music. Mostly rap music. The food was good. Fresh salad, fruit, meats etc. Unlimited mimosas was $25 per person. We could only order 1 flavor at a time, which there was about 8 flavors. They were good By 3pm, the place was more so filling up. What was crazy was at 4pm, the workers started breaking down the buffet-- quickly!! A group that had arrived @ 3 were caught off guard that brunch was ending. The workers did provide everyone with TAKE HOME Boxes, so we filled our boxes as fast as they were breaking it down lol Hookah guy arrived, think it was a total of $68. The hookah was good Gratuity is automatically included. Our waitress was GREAT! Only thing I didn't like, the place had her walking around in a tight leopard body suit, with her arms out, like this was the Playboy mansion. It was cold in there. I would come back for brunch - just know, there was not a mention of a Buffet brunch online

    I came to Throw Social for Howard's Graduate and Professional mixer during Homecoming week. The…read morevenue is on the 2nd floor of the Axe Throwing venue, and it is spacious. I love the cabanas they have for lounging and eating/drinking. Since the event was catered, I can't speak on the service too much, but the spread of food was impressive and delicious.

    Studio 52 - Cowgirl tings

    Studio 52

    (24 reviews)

    Ivy City

    There aren't enough words to describe the high level of customer service, professionalism and…read moresatisfaction I experienced from start to finish. Chelsea, one of the venue owners, took her time with me and answered all 5.391 questions I had with a smile. Every email was returned promptly and the entire process was seamless. Studio 52 is the perfect venue for any event and celebrating my 50th birthday there was the absolute best decision I ever made. The bar and event staff were lit!!! They served those drinks and kept my guests with a cup in their hand all night!! What I loved most was the free will to decorate the blank palette any way I liked. You can transform this place into a nightlife scene, a baby shower, business event or holiday party. You can easily use your imagination in this place and that's exactly what I did!! If you're searching for the perfect venue for ANY event, look no further than Studio 52!!! This deserves 10 stars.

    It was an amazing experience transforming this venue into the Yellowstone Barbie Ranch for my…read moreMuthaf'n Buuurday!! The owner Chelsea is an absolute delight to work with. I mean who can so no once she starts batting those hypnotic eyes, then brings in her husband with the fun Cancer personality so it's hard to say no to putting down a deposit! Lol. Ok ok take my whole wallet dang! Lol. The whole process was seamless, they even went above & beyond to make sure I can fit in my mechanical bull. This was the real deciding factor! There was no way I can have a Yellowstone party without a bull. Lol. Forgive me I'm extra & I want what I want* evil grin*. The staff was super detail oriented and fun to work with for the theme. Tati the bar manager is a Rockstar with a bubbly personality. I can't thank these guys enough for making sure I had the most puuurfect Ranch experience. And yes I came fully equipped with my horses as well. Can't be a cowgirl if you're not ride'n! Lol This venue is #BarbieApproved

    Carnegie Institution For Science - venues - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...